forum Plan C // closed One on One with Carrots

Started March 17, 2023 by @Mojack group

tune

(Copying and pasting everything here for convenience; @Carrots
Around 300 years ago, Earth was fighting a battle that couldn’t be won.
Not by humans, at least. The planet itself would survive.

It was the Ekzark who would win — turning the tables of a once apex predator, making us resorting to hiding ourselves away, lest we be stolen away to their facilities for unknown purposes. The Ekzark, funny enough, were initially human creations. Robots — battle drones. The automation of war and conflict and all that business was upon man when they were being built, and at that time, they weren’t even known at the Ekzark, but their original names are long gone, lost to history.
It was said that there was a glitch. It started out small, and it apparently didn’t make frontlines for the first few weeks of the glitch. The governments thought they had it all under control.
They did not.
When it became apparent that the machines were bulking up their code and defences against humans, making it impossible to remotely hack them, it was said that this became the first example of human vs. Ekzark. The story began to pick up in news, and from there, it all spun out of control.
They say that whatever caused the glitch came from offplanet. That years before, humans had been trying to send out signals, trying to find if we were truly alone out here.
Apparently we weren’t. Apparently, whatever was out there didn’t like us disturbing it that much, so it send a disease that came in the form of messed up code to deal with us.

When some people realized it was a losing war, they built an Ark — a massive ship, fleeing Earth and seeking shelter elsewhere. Of course, not 10 billion could fit on the Ark.
So that fateful day, when the Ark left, it left behind so, so many people. And it was the first true announcement, unsaid in words, but enough — “We’re losing.”

The war came to an end, with some humans still picking up resistance even 300 years later, but the Ekzark were on top. They set to work in ‘evicting’ us and building all sorts of facilities — Earth was their home now. The only reason they didn’t wipe us out was for the reason of fuel.
No, the robots didn’t feed on gasoline.
It was biomatter they wanted, and they understood humans had valuable purposes that if used correctly, could work in their favour. There were some known as traitors who sided with the Ekzark immediately, snitching on their neighbours and friends if they caught wind of a conspiracy against the Ekzark. Others, tried to take a firm stand against the Ekzark, rebelling with a strong mind.
But most could only put their heads down and go with the new way of life.

A dark age had begun.
You were born in that dark age of course; there was no way you were 300 years old. No one from the ‘old days’ was alive anymore, save for the Ekzark who could live for as long they were maintained. Human history was known only in bits and pieces, of what happened before — the war, the struggle, the fleeing of the Ark — the apparent fact that once, humans had been the top of the world, and that we had a long history long before the Ekzark came along.
You may or may not find that hard to believe.

One day, while out scavenging for parts (Not all interactions with Ekzark are violent — they pay money for machine parts; or maybe you’re getting parts for a human, or maybe yourself), you notice a chill in the air, and an odd amount of silence. Too odd. You look up in the sky and can only see clear skies with the sun beating down on you.

There’s a sudden distant rumble and a boom, and by god is it loud. Like some sort of shockwave…in the sky?
And that’s when you see it — an object in the sky, clearly having just broken through the atmosphere, descending at rapid speeds to the ground. The idea of spacecraft isn’t a new one to you; you’ve never ridden on one, or been that close to one, but you know that the Ekzark have them (mostly drones, though). The thing is, this thing is…a lot smaller.
Like, way smaller than the fighter drones or transport ships you usually see, and it’s beelining straight for the ground. Perhaps you were in your head too long, for the ship lands - or crashes rather, quite a distance away from you. But not so far that you wouldn’t be able to travel to it on foot and investigate yourself, if you so pleased.

But why would you do that?

Concern for whoever crashed, or maybe you want to see if you can harvest some rarer parts from the pod.
Maybe it’s just curiosity.

——

Sci-fi sort of RP set on an Earth where humans fought a war (and lost) with machines. The machines are known as the Ekzark, who allow the surviving humans on Earth to live under a tightly controlled society. The Ekzark were originally human creations, but since their takeover they’ve changed a little bit (some adorn themselves with special clothing, but Ekzark do not wear full clothing as humans do; others wear paint on themselves to symbolize status), not just in appearance but also their society. In the centuries they’ve been active, they’ve been able to establish a society for themselves.

Cities still exist, but certain areas are closed off to humans (Ekzark only areas). Vehicles, unless piloted by AI, are forbidden (AI being under control by Ekzark of course), meaning since the takeover, animals such as horses have become important for humans. The Ekzark are fine with this…for now. Additionally, they are fine with bikes, but anything using an engine or along those lines is off limits.

Human history is mostly in bits and pieces, but most people can tell you about the 17 month war, the war that lasted 17 months that was between the Ekzark and humans, and the results that told a tale of Ekzark victory. They can also tell you about the Ark (but don’t know a whole lot about it), as it left Earth leaving behind many humans 300 years ago.
Human resistance is still fairly active, if not highly secretive. They work in attacking Ekzark supply chains (transport vehicles, factories, etc) and disrupting their communications.
Physically, the Ekzark are rather tall, with a very long (almost serpentine) neck; on average they are about 8ft in height. While having two legs and two arms, and a humanoid body plan, that’s where their similarities end. Their head is composed of one big sensor/scanner, no facial features beyond that, and they have a long tail utilized for balance. Additionally, they do not walk standing straight up, but tend to go hunched over slightly. Ekzark can speak a variety of languages to accommodate whoever they’re with, but they are known to have a secret ‘machine language’ impossible for humans to understand. Their legs are digitigrade.

This RP is based around 300 years after the “17 Months War”, where you play a human, a descendant of one of the people who would’ve been left on Earth during the takeover (as of course, no one alive 300 years ago would be around now…right? Except for the Ekzark of course, who can live for as long as their data remains stable).
You’ve lived your entire live in a society far different from the humans 300+ years ago. Ruled by the Ekzark, you can resist — but don’t get caught, lest you be whisked away into their prisons, never to be seen again. Or just keep your head down.
One day, while out collecting machine/scrap parts, you see some sort of ship (escape pod?) descending towards the ground. Do you decide to investigate, for reasons that could be your own, or do you do something else? The choice is yours, it’s your character after all.
Nobody knows what happened to the Ark after it left, other than the fact it was going off to some other habitable planet.
Thing is, you might find out with this mysterious pod.

Anyways! Rules!

1. I am not very active — I can be, but I tend to go on random bouts, so please remember this when joining. If I appear to ghost the RP, it is 100% not your fault; I likely either forgot or lost motivation (I can regain motivation however)
2. Mature RPers preferred; this does not mean the content of the RP shall be mature, just my preference. There might be violence/blood present in the RP, but it won’t be actively everywhere, so keep it in mind that there is a time and place for everything!
3. Adding to the above, I greatly appreciate punctuation and good grammar. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes and English isn’t everyone’s first language, so I can be forgiving (as I make mistakes too. if you see me edit a post no you didn’t). Relating to this rule, I will ask for a writing sample if I do not know your style before you join! If I deny, please note I am pretty selective with my one on ones compared to other RPs; it’s not against you!
4. andrew (Our Supreme Lord and Overseer)’s rules all apply! Any sexual content should it happen will be implied/fade to black as I am not comfortable writing that content.
5. Swearing is allowed, just try not to overdo it (and no slurs).
6. In fights, play to your strengths and remember your weaknesses. It’s okay to take hits and deal them! Don’t autohit, but don’t dodge/block everything either. A balance — remember.
7. Ask questions as needed — remember to ask before joining however!

Now for some notes for character creation and the world:

• rich, upper class humans still exist; but are seen as ‘sponsored’ by the Ekzark - hence the only reason they are there, in that status is due to the Ekzark allowing them to be there.
• 300 years in the future in a world ruled mostly by machines. Depending on where you live, your clothing could be built to last. Stores haven’t stopped existing, though they are monitored by the Ekzark.
• Horses are important as transportation for some people, but others prefer bikes (occasionally, motorcycles though rare can be utilized by humans). Anything beyond that general line is viewed as illegal by the Ekzark for humans to use.
• The technology is advanced, but humans are forbidden to use much of it. Resistance members acquire weaponry and other materials through various means; if they were caught with these materials, the Ekzark would raid them.
• In most major cities, there is a curfew where all electricity (save for the ones in the upper human districts and Ekzark only districts) shuts off at a certain time at night (11:30 PM but it can vary from town to town), and goes back on during the day (6:00 AM, but again can vary). Candles and other traditional ways are commonplace.
• You might notice that humans have gone back to some older ways of doing things; this also applies to sending messages; pigeons and other birds are not uncommon for those hoping to send a message that won’t be investigated by the Ekzark.
• The Ekzark are not aliens, though what sent the corrupted code into the Ekzark was. That ‘thing’ never came in our solar system, and never has; most of its existence remains a mystery, and many people aren’t aware of it (therefore, the corrupting signal source is a debated topic for many).
• The Ekzark have orbital stations in space built off of old human ones; few humans have set foot in the new Ekzark ones. They’re only a rumour to many, their purpose — unknown.

Remember: You are the human on earth, descended from those who survived the original war. This RP can take place anywhere on Earth where humans live, and you can chose to be a human resistance member, or if you’re feeling like a bit of a traitor (/j) you can be an informant for the Ekzark. The choice is yours!

Ask before joining, and ask questions as needed!

Character template

Name:
Age: (21-25)
Gender:
Pronouns:
Orientation:

Personality:
Appearance:
Clothing:
Background: (brief or as long as you want it, point form or slideshow or paragraphs, I’ll take it in any form)
Other: (fun facts, details about relationships they might have, conditions, beliefs, etc. Whatever you feel like can go here!)

An absolute slay

yeah! Any questions?

oo yes actually
1) romance or no romance? because if so that leads into question 2
2) preferred gender for said character for said romance?

other than that nope lol

Could be romance, for me I just like to see how these sorts of things go! If you want for it to potentially lead into a romance, my character is a biromantic man, so any gender will work!

yeah totally, if they have chemistry then brilliant but if they don't then that's chill :) and brilliant! I'll get my lad up in a few!

Of course!!
I’m just going to put my character down here since I’m finished with him; don’t feel in a rush or anything

Name: Cezar Dumitru
Age: 23
Gender: Cis man
Pronouns: he/him, but also good with they/them
Orientation: Biromantic asexual

Personality: Cezar is something of a quieter man, preferring the company of machines to people. When speaking, he’s soft spoken, not likely to be pushy with his words — he’s someone who thinks before speaking. A lot of thinking. Still, when he does think that he has a crucial piece of information, he will say it; he’s not one to hold back potentially life saving information or along those lines.
Not much of a leader, more of a follower who occasionally does his own thing when the situation doesn’t feel good. Cezar could be described as the person in the horror movie who survives because they weren’t there to begin with. He’s in tune with what’s around him, almost always on alert. Which can be a good thing, or a bad thing, depending on the situation.

Appearance: Cezar is about 6ft in height, maybe a few centimetres over. He has features that lean on the paler side of things, but thanks to his 8 years spent on Planet B, he’s gotten a little bit of sun (a fair skin tone). His hair is a very dark brown, curly (best described as 2C for hair type) although he does his best to try and brush it out so it’s not too wild. It goes down to a few centimetres below his ears, maybe touching the lower part of the back of his neck at the longest. While he doesn’t grow a full beard, he does have a slight stubble and usually keeps it at that. His eye are blue, but the shade they appear in makes them seem grey. He has a body type best described as athletic; not incredibly muscular but not without it, either.
Likely his most notably feature is his missing right arm, instead replaced by a cybernetic prosthetic one (he had the option to make it look like a normal arm, but chose to keep its metallic look surprisingly). Lost in a Lathorax attack (alien wildlife native to Planet B), it’s now something he’s had for 5 years.

Clothing: Cezar never experienced a whole lot of choice in what he wore, given his status in the Ark (in general, nobody got to wear a whole lot of colourful things, except for the richest of them all. Unfortunately for Cezar he was not among that group)
His typical gear is suited for the type of work he does — fixing machines, if he’s on the Ark, and hunting, if he’s on the ground. Cezar usually wears a jacket built with a tough, made to last material. The clothing he wears is typical for the average worker on the Ark; he also has a baseball cap he wears casually, and boots to protect his feet while working with heavy machinery. He might also sport black goggles to protect his eyes, depending on what he’s working with, but also just for his eyes (a slight light sensitivity).
One of Cezar’s personal treasures is a dark red scarf given to him by his mother, who passed away from terminal illness on the Ark. He rarely takes this off.

Background: Cezar was born on the Ark. He only experienced the Earth through pictures and videos, tales and stories from others on board the Ark. For him, the Earth was a place that he’d likely never end up seeing.
His life on the Ark was good, and stable. He didn’t have to worry about much aside from doing his jobs — the Ark was a massive ship that needed everyone to be doing their work. As a youth, Cezar was already familiar with the machines that he had to operate on the Ark. He was highly proficient in their use at a young age.
Prior to taking off, the Ark did indeed have a destination; a supposed habitable planet. It would take them at least 15 years to get there. So when Cezar was 15, the Ark arrived at the planet.
“Planet B,” it was nicknamed, and it was to be named once the inhabitants of Ark established a foothold. ‘The New World,’ it was also nicknamed. Life was fine on Planet B for a few years at first.
Then came the comet — and with no technology to deflect it, and the comet being considered a life-ending, extinction level threat, Planet B was abandoned. Some stayed (even though there was next to no chance of survival). At 23 years of age, Cezar was already leaving what was supposed to be his forever home.
They knew of no habitable planets nearby. Planet B was the only one within distance, and it was going to be ravaged by a comet. The Ark had enough fuel and supplies for one last trip. And while there was a habitable planet…
…that planet was Earth.
Cezar never thought he’d see Earth in person. He couldn’t help but be curious, although was hesitant and anxious, like many others. The technicians on the Ark had developed a ‘jump drive’ to get back to Earth far faster, faster than 15 years. So the Ark jumped back to Earth — but a cataclysmic failure (perhaps something connected to old history has caused the failure, making it not to be much of an accident after all…) within the drive had occurred. The Ark arrived at its destination, but there wasn’t much time — they needed to evacuate.
Although the entire trip only felt like a few minutes had passed, a lot more time had went by outside of the jump.
Of course, Cezar was not concerned with that, nor did he know. He was more concerned with getting away with his life.

Other: Cezar was born as the Ark was leaving the solar system, and was 15 when the Ark arrived at Planet B, the other planet. He spent 8 years living on this planet, primarily as a protector for the early settlements and then a hunter.
He’s skilled with a long scoped rifle. He knows his way around machines — his primary job was to operate them. He’s good at maintaining them too.
Having spent the first 15 years of his life in space, Cezar’s bones handles Earth-level gravity differently. While he won’t keel over the second he steps onto a planet with similar Earth gravity, he often requires a light exoskeleton to be worn (not invasive or extremely noticeable) if movement is expected. (So he can take it off while sleeping). Because of this, his exoskeleton can have him hit a little harder than the average person, but it’s not superhuman strength.

Name: Finnian Rulo
Age: 23
Gender: male
Pronouns: he/him
Orientation: queer, no label

Personality: Finn is a hardworking, dedicated and passionate man with a love for the stars. He is a dreamer and a fighter, being a part of the resistance in order to try and free earth from the hold the Ekzark have on his planet. He believes himself to be fairly creative and intelligent when it comes to all things robotics and machines, although less so when it comes to social settings. He is a leader at heart and knows how to command a room and make people listen when he needs them to, although is perfectly fine stepping aside and letting others take the spotlight and the glory - he doesn't care about that. He has a big heart, hence the dreamer aspect of him, and cares deeply about his friends and his planet. Likes to have interests and things to do as he doesn't like sitting still for long periods of time.

Appearance: He stands around 6'1 and is a well built man. It's clear he works out quite frequently, however, he isn't at all as big as some of the other men that he works with. His mother's genetics stop him from becoming too large and as a result, he is on the 'leaner' side. Pale skin, like, vampire pale, with scars and bruises riddled across his skin at all times. There has never been a moment in his life he hasn't had at least one bruise present, even from when he was a child and they're obvious because of his skin tone. He has a scar across his left cheek that cuts through his mouth, leaving a nice jagged mark that he can't hide. His eyes are forest green and his hair is a light brown, kept short on the sides and longer on the top with soft curls. Freckles across his nose.

Clothing: Like most in the lower parts of Earth now, his clothes are of simple make, mainly dulled browns and blues for his shirts and pants, strong reinforced boots that are surprisingly comfortable, a belt that holds an array of tools to the very basic form of a gun - like, ancient in comparison to some of the new things. His work uniform is of some weird material that is not leather but feels like it, with a helmet to match.

Background: Finn was born into a lower-class family. His father worked in the mines and his mother stayed at home taking care of people in their small town - a nurse, really. Unfortunately, they were both killed in a shoot out between some rebellion men and the Ekzark when he was young and so he doesn't remember them much. He was taken in by a middle-class family who found him wandering the streets of the now-deserted town. They were good people - Maria and Sallo - and Finn was their only child as Maria was unable to have kids. He got a basic education but when he was 16 Sallo found him a job working as a mechanical engineer, helping make small parts for the Ekzark. Not many were able to have that opportunity, but it seemed that Finn was smart enough to be given a chance. He worked hard and as much as he, like everyone, hate the Ekzark, at least he was able to help pay for food for his parents. He learnt all there was about machines, the Ekark, about their history and he developed a love for the stars. His dream is for one day, if the earth is liberated, to fly amongst them. When he was 18 he joined the rebellion, being able to gather information about the technology he was being tasked to make and feed it back. He's worried he'll be caught, but so far nothing yet. He has been able to smuggle parts out of the factories in order to make better weapons for the rebellion, though most are still in the testing phase and he's worried that if they tried to use them, they'd be found.

Other: He likes to read old encyclopaedias he finds and note down and speculate about what earth may have been like before the war. It's all a bit ridiculous. He also wants to try hot chocolate one day.

Cezar still found the whole thing hard to believe — they were going back to Earth. He’d never seen the place in person, having been born on the Ark — Starborn, they called the children who were born on the ship. Being born amongst the stars.
Fiddling with a small stuffed animal that was his as a child, Cezar smiled softly; while he was brimming with anxiety, part of him couldn’t help but feel curious of Earth. 23 years. Maybe he could find his father? His father, who he had never met— stayed behind to fight the Ekzark, or so he was told. He glanced back down at the stuffed animal; a small, pale thing— a bear, perhaps? He’d never seen a bear in person he realized, with a chuckle.

Cezar was slowly setting down the bear when the entire ship jolted. And something…was that an explosion, he wondered? For moments later an alarm began to blare. For a moment he was frozen, but his instincts took over as he raced out of his room and into the hallway.
“What’s going on?” Cezar had called out to the nearest person, who was in the same amount of panic as he was. She’d only briefly turned around, but Cezar recognized her — Kali? — and she replied.
“Don’t know! Some sort of failure in the ship, I’m going to try and get more information!” And with that, Kali spun around and continued running down the hall. Leaving Cezar behind, who debated what to do.
I’m sure it’s not that bad. Anyways, the machines probably need to be secured. Another jolt rocked the ship, and Cezar placed his hand on the wall for support. His lips thinned as a voice in the back of his mind told him that this ‘failure’ wasn’t as mild as he was telling himself.

Still, he moved himself towards the machine bay, as fast as he could — secure the machines, stop them from falling over or crashing into each other and causing more damage. Yet Cezar found himself stopped along the way by an older man - Jude, his name was - who he thought to be one of the higher ship technicians.
“Get to the pods, boy!” Jude practically yelled, blocking his way to the machine bay. Cezar stumbled backwards, his heart thudding—
“What’s going on?”
“Don’t ask questions — just get to the pods!”

Cezar truly wanted to know what was happening, but his instincts told him getting to the escape pods would be the best decision. Still, why would they be sending people to the pods? Unless it was a catastrophic failure, they wouldn’t…
Cezar raced into the escape room, and found himself to be the only one there. There are other ones all around the ship. I’m certain they’re just in the other ones, he thought, as he slowed down, walking forwards. He waited a few minutes, standing in silence while the alarm blared, and considered — Jude had said to get to the pods. Did he mean to say, get in them as well? His hands drawn behind his back, Cezar stared into the lights…before a third shake jolted the entire ship once more, felt throughout all the walls as the lights flickered.
Cezar swallowed — before glancing at one of the pods. Escape Pod 2B. Each could fit around 2 people, more if one hoped to push it. And still, he noticed as he looked around the room one final time, he was alone. The alarm still shrieking, Cezar hesitantly walked forwards and opened the pod, stepping inside. As the door closed behind him, he took a seat. It wasn’t very comfortable. A given, considering that the pods were meant to be temporary. The pod contained an emergency kit, the full contents of which he was uncertain but he knew that they likely had a first aid kit. He wasn’t injured, but it was good to know.
As he buckled himself in, he wondered — was this really happening? Was this just a dream?

Suddenly, the pod jettisoned out, and Cezar stiffened, still in the seat. A wild dream it had to be, that certainly felt real as his heart threatened to beat out of his chest. It dawned on him that if this was real…the pod had just been thrust from the safety of the Ark, and presumably, back to Earth.
And the pod was going down, he realized, glancing out the windows that showed him all the stars and the shape of the Ark, slowly growing smaller…and what looked to be some sort of damage, stemming from the Ark’s engine bay. He hoped that it wasn’t too bad. That maybe, he could contact the Ark and rendezvous with the other escapees down on Earth. As the pod broke into the atmosphere, he braced. The whole thing didn’t sound good, the entire pod shaking, but he knew these things were built to hold through the atmosphere of a planet.

The pod continued to cascade down, shooting through the atmosphere and down below. Cezar wasn’t too focused on looking around him, though he did notice the soft white clouds around the pod; he was more intent on bracing himself for the coming landing. The pod deployed a large parachute to help stabilize it.
And before he knew it, the ground was closer, closer, closer…
And then came the crash, and even though Cezar was seated perfectly in the pod, it didn’t stop him from jostling forwards; he hadn’t even noticed his hands were gripping the arms of the seat around him tightly.
It took a few more seconds before the pod stopped sliding, what felt like an eternity to Cezar. Still seated, Cezar stayed silent for a few moments, just registering the whole thing in his mind. No doubt it would take him a lot longer for it to all sit in, but he just crash-landed on a planet he’d only heard of in stories and school lessons. He exhaled, letting out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding.
The pod was secure, and while could be opened from the outside using brute force, the easiest way was through the inside. Slowly, Cezar unbuckled himself, still taking the whole thing in. Earth. I’m on Earth, he realized, arms resting in front of him.
Still taking the whole thing in mind no doubt. That wouldn’t be too much of a problem though, considering that the pod was secure, and with his glances outside, it seemed Cezar had landed in a somewhat remote area. But he couldn’t see fully around himself, so who knows?

The whizzing and blurring of the machines that surrounded Finnian in one of the Ekzark factories had become nothing but background noise to the engineer. When he'd first found himself in the position of being offered a place, a job, at sixteen working for the robots that controlled their every move, the noise had been deafening. He was surprised he wasn't deaf himself, honestly, considering how loud it was.

The factories that housed the engineers, technicians and mechanics that created parts for the robot overlords were positioned on the outskirts of one of the new cities built by the Ekzark. The cities themselves were a marvel of technology, most humans could admit that much even if they lived in the poorer districts, but the factories were less than brilliant places. Big, bulky and intimidating was what Finn would describe them as. They linked up to the mines that extended far out into the wastelands boarding the city which was where most of the humans that worked for the Ekzark were located - including Finn. Down below the building in the depths where all the ugly, outdated machines were that they were forced to make work when it came to creating parts, fixing machines and anything else that the robots had them do. A lot, was the answer, because work never ended. Twelve hours on, six hours sleep, a few hours with the rebellion and repeat. Finn hadn't got a break in over six years.

But, in the grand scheme of things, Finn was one of the lucky ones. He had a job that paid enough to get buy and provide food each night and, as much as it was small, an apartment in the city with a bed. It was more than some had, and he guessed he should be grateful.

The machines came to a halting, grinding stop, signalling the end of the shift and with a sigh, Finn removed his face guard and left it at his station. He was always quick to get out of there compared to some. He had few friends in the factory but they worked in different sectors and only ever saw each other on breaks - few and far between. But, before he could rest for the day, he had parts to collect. There'd been a tip by some rebellions that some Ekzark had broken down in the wastes closer to one of the last living forests. They'd asked Finn to find them and collect the parts in hoping he could do something useful with them.

It was where he was when he had seen the thing from space come crashing down to Earth. They had never had visitors from space before, not in his lifetime and he doubted ever. The Ark had to be light years away from what he knew of it, so curiosity got the better of him when he saw it land not far from where he had been searching.

"Be careful, son. This rebellion is dangerous." His parents had always said. They had been a part of it, too, and with reluctance had let him join at eighteen. He doubted Maria and Sallo had ever thought he would be investigating downed space crafts. Finn had run as fast as he could, following the stream of smoke that billowed into the air in regards to finding its location. The strange egg-shaped pod was smaller than he had been expecting. Were aliens small? Were humans small now after being in space?

Giving himself a few more minutes, Cezar breathed in and out — just in attempt of relaxing himself before he stepped out of the pod. I’m here. I’m on Earth. His eyes turned to the emergency kit, that was currently locked in but as soon as he disengaged the locks he could-
There. Cezar took the kit into his hands, and opened it, inspecting its contents. Indeed, it has a radio in it, as well as a first aid kit as expected. A flare gun, and even a self defence handgun. Not what I’m used to, but it’ll do, Cezar thought as he looked at it. He was more partial to long scoped rifles. Still, he hoped there would be no need to use it. A knife was also included in the kit, as well as basic survival supplies. Cezar peered around the pod; while it was small, it did contain quite a few items one should check out before leaving. A bag for carrying his items, instead of lugging the clunky case of the emergency kit around. That would do nicely — and a protective weather poncho stored within. He already had his jacket, and while it seemed sunny enough outside…
Cezar took it, just in case, putting it in the bag with the rest of his items and slinging it over his shoulder. He looked around some more, before spotting something.

“Ah, now who is this?” Cezar mumbled as he drew his hands forwards and took the small drone out of its slot. The drone was only the size of a football, and a bit of an older model — but Cezar deemed it would do just fine. Moving his right arm forwards, Cezar paired with the drone, turning it on in the process. It whirred to life as it immediately began to investigate its surroundings. Cezar smiled.
“Name register, Copper,” he said to the drone as it looked at him. “My name is Cezar. Stick with me, okay?” He’d given the drone its own name; Copper. A lot of people didn’t give these sorts of machines names unless you worked with them a lot. And having worked with them a lot…Cezar had given plenty named.
Copper chirped as Cezar pulled away. The moment of truth was upon him — he touched his scarf gently, and drew his goggles up onto his face in preparation to face the sunlight. With a breath, Cezar stood up slightly and opened the pod. The doors hissed as they released their safety locks, and slid open, slowly. Copper, the small drone flew out first, staying close to Cezar and the pod but clearly ready to investigate the area, given its purpose as an observation and exploration drone.

Cezar pulled himself out of the pod and up onto its metal surface. It was still a little hot, the outside of it, so he slid himself off of it as soon as he could to avoid hurting his left hand.
He looked around. It was…quiet, he noticed immediately. It’s good I didn’t crash into someone’s house then, he thought genuinely.

Copper’s light flickered a yellow, signalling that it had spotted something. Cezar was already looking at the drone, who was up in the air, and then he turned his head in direction of where the drone was looking. Is that a person? He wondered, his eyes looking upon what did indeed seem to be someone. Looks like they were in the process of approaching the pod. Doesn’t look like an Ekzark, Cezar reckons — from what he was taught, the robots were a lot taller and harder to miss. Still…
This was likely an Earth human. Or it could be someone from the Ark — another survivor? Something in him doubted that though. Just by the way the person approached.
Uncertain of what to do, Cezar took a step back, whistling a command to Copper to draw closer to him. Another human, so why is he backing up? Caution, Cezar reminds himself. And the fact he doesn’t want to make the first move. He never draws his eyes off of the person, just waiting - but at least he’s not running away.

Well, it wasn't an alien, unless aliens looked like humans but then they wouldn't be aliens. Finn raised a hand and waved as he drew closer, hoping to convey that he wasn't a danger. There were rarely ever any Ekzarks out this far from the city. The occasional patrol bot that did a scout but they usually only went around at night as Finn had learned the hard way.

He shifted his satchel across his shoulder. There wasn't much inside but an old gun, an empty water bottle and a couple random parts he'd found on the walk from the factory to the outer rim into the wastes. None of the decommissioned Ekzarks that had been mentioned, but at least he'd found something better. Someone more interesting than spare, probably broken down parts. The dead grass crunched under his feet. Climate change hadn't disappeared even with a significantly decreased population but, Finn guessed that because of the mass amounts of factories, even if more technologically advanced, were still contributing. All the books he'd read about Earth from before the Ekzark talked about how Earth was at a point that was too far gone to be saved when it came to environmental factors. The proof was in the pudding. What used to be lush, green fields was now just dead grass. Forests were limited and few and far between and every bit of greenery in the upper sections of the city were fake.

It made fighting to regain control of his planet all the more important to Finn.

When he was finally close enough to see colour and detail of the new visitor, once again raised his hands to show he was holding no weapons. And when he was close enough to speak without shouting, he did, "You alright?" It had been one hell of a crash. Finn wouldn't be surprised if some Ekzarks had seen the fall, too, and were making their way to investigate.

Human. That’s a human, and he seems to speak English. Good. Cezar knew Romanian in addition to a bit of French, but English was the primary language he had used, and the one he was most proficient in.
Copper, the scout drone hummed above the two as it circled back over to Cezar. Cezar briefly glanced at Copper then back at the human. He still couldn’t believe the whole thing - Earth, he was on Earth, the second planet he’d ever set foot on. Most people only ever stayed on one.
“I’m..” He mumbled out at first, in a voice so quiet that it would be hard to discern what he was saying. But glancing up, Cezar gave himself another glance at the man, now that he was a bit closer. He frowned slightly as he took note of the man’s clothing — not quite what he had in mind for an Earth resident. As was the saying - not quite up to his expectations. A light gust of wind blew through the area, and Cezar just noticed how…dry everything looked. He opened his mouth again, as if to say something, but no words came out. Closing his mouth, Cezar glanced at the ground, then back up. Finally, he called out, adjusting the volume of his voice so that he could be heard.

“I think so,” Cezar replied. He’d likely be a bit sore maybe the day after, but aside from that, he hadn’t noticed any injuries. “Um..” He managed out, uncertain. “This is Earth, correct?”

Finn held back a chuckle, "Well, it's definitely not Mars." He closed the last of the distance between the two of them, standing a few meters away from the visitor. He took in the little drone and tried not to ogle. He'd always been interested in what the tech would have been like on the Ark or even just anywhere else. Whether old or new, Finn had only ever been concerned and surrounded by Ekzark tech, not human tech. All if not most had been phased out long before he was born and replaced by the robots. It was good, great even, but when you spent your whole life around the same things - it became a bore, especially if you were Finn who was always looking to improve and expand and learn more.

"Yeah, this is Earth," He peered around the visitor to look at the pod, trying to gauge the state of the ship, "And you're definitely not from around here by the looks of it."

Whoever this man was, whether he was from the Ark or another human settlement it didn't matter, really. He had come from the stars. Really and properly from space. He didn't look old enough to be one of the original humans who had left Earth behind, so why would he be here, in an escape pod, it seemed. Was it an accident? Finn wondered what happened to the Ark, to the others who had left or been born among the stars above. Lucky. Why anyone would want to voluntarily come back to Earth in its current state was beyond Finn. Crazy, was a word he would use as a description, or maybe even insane.

There was a brief pause before his response came. Apprehension was evident in the way that he stood, from the way he was positioned — ready to move, if need be. “You are…correct. I’m not from here.” Cezar responds, looking at the other man, then briefly glancing at his escape pod. “That much is obvious,” he notes in a much quieter voice, then looks back.
“I’m from…the Ark,” he begins, surprisingly forward with it all. Yet in Cezar’s mind, it hasn’t been that long since the Ark had left Earth; only 23 years, which while was a lot of time, wasn’t a very unreasonable amount of time. His mind turned what next to say. The escape pod he’d ridden in had flung itself from the Ark down to Earth - other escapees, yes, he needed to find them - and reestablish contact with the Ark, find out what happened. Cezar continued on with uncertainty in his voice, “Have you seen any..others? Any other pods? Like mine?” Gesturing to the pod, Cezar waited for a response.

Finn tried not to look so wide-eyed. So he was from the Ark, but what were they doing back at Earth? And where was the ship, anyway? Nothing else had entered the atmosphere, at least not around this city. If there were any other pods, they may have landed elsewhere. This guy was lucky, at least there was the city close by which allowed for resources, and a place to stay rather than in this desolate wasteland of a field. Had he been further out, it might have been a different story - maybe that was the case for some of his friends on the Ark.

"No, there were no other pods that I saw land around here." Finn glanced over his shoulder, making sure to keep an eye on his surroundings, looking for any Ekzark that may appear out of nowhere - from above or below, "It's a big planet though, they may have landed somewhere else."

He would have to ask some of his friends located in different cities. Communication was few and far between when it came to different countries but the underground, makeshift system they had in place had so far been undetected and proved useful. Finn made a note to use the system when he got home, "I'm Finn. Who are you and why are you down here?"

Of course, Cezar had expected a bit of surprise. It had been just after two whole decades that the Ark had departed from Earth, but now it was back, and in fair distance to Earth. Not further than the moon, he reckoned. “Oh.” Cezar had said when the information came, that his pod had been the only one spotted so far. But he — Finn, was right. Earth is big. Planets are big — and that’s why he was thankful for the communicator in his bag. Right now though, it would only work for short distances, unless he could find something larger to hook it up to.
Cezar’s pause is lengthy; he’s thinking of a lot right now, debating each and every single one of his words. “Yes, you’re right. They must have landed elsewhere…My name is Cezar Dumitru,” he introduces himself, “Machine engineer and ranger.” A ranger was what he had been known as on Planet B — he wasn’t so sure now, given that planet was long behind him. But him being a machine engineer- well, that hadn’t changed. He lifted his cybernetic arm slightly in a low, brief wave, as he glanced around some more. He still couldn’t get over the scenery. It was different…but not quite what he’d expected. And then his mind went back to Finn saying Earth was a big planet.

“Um..Tell me, what part of Earth are we on exactly?” He tilts his head. He’s not 100% familiar with everything, but he did at least learn the names of some of the continents and certain countries, as well the names of the oceans and whatnot of Earth. Having a grasp on his location would prove vital, he reckons.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Cezar." Finn didn't know what the other meant when he called himself a 'ranger' he guessed that was probably a profession they had on the Ark, or on the planet they had come from. There would be time to question Cezar about his life later. Having no communication with the outside of Earth, what had happened after the Ark left Earth was a mystery, and considering Finn hadn't even been alive at the time, he was left wondering about what life was like. What space was like. It was an unreal feeling to think that this man had come from the stars, flown between them and lived among them for a time being. His interest and love for the sky was uncanny, almost obsessive, and when things may have calmed down with Cezar, he just had to ask.

When it came to where they were on Earth, Finn blew out a breath, "Well, before the Ekzark's, it was the east of America, I think New York? I'm not great at geography and we don't use any of those terms now. The city in this area is Dusk, and the surrounding lands are of the same name." It wasn't that the old geographical names had been outlawed, but it became confusing when the robots were referring to states and cities by different names, so it became an unspoken consensus to just… stop using the old names to make it easier on everyone.

((Just a heads-up that I’ll likely be a little more inactive going forwards since my classes have started back up; while I work from home it’s law and that’s a bit of a workload heavy course))

Cezar brought his hands up and slowly tapped his fingers together. He was a bit surprised that in just 23 years, the terminology for the land had changed. But at least Finn did know what the true names of the lands were. New York? He’d heard the name. Cezar nodded in acknowledgement, although he didn’t say much. His mind went back to his mother’s stories. Had the war never occurred, Cezar would have been born in a place called…Romania, he reckoned.
“Dusk, formerly known as New York…” he’d mumbled, noting to himself. “And tell me, were you born before or after the Ekzarks? Er.” Cezar paused. “You don’t have to tell me of course, apologies if it’s too personal of a question…” his voice drifted off.

(All good man, I can imagine it would be a lot. My psych course is picking up too so I totally understand, no rush)

Finn huffed a soft chuckle, "No, no, it's okay. I understand that everything may be a little strange since well…" He motioned to the pod, to his little robot flying around them. The Ark must have been so different. Better. it would have been a better life, away from the fighting and the shit houses and overworked and underpaid jobs, the ruined land and the horrible conditions - not to mention the robots that oversaw everything that happened and conditioned everyone to their ways.
"I was born after. This," He gestured to the surrounding dead lands, the city on the horizon, the smoke and smog billowing from the factories, and what looked to be some Ekzark technology lingering over the city, watching, waiting for someone to mess up, "This has been my whole life."

It was certainly a change, Finn was right about that. Copper, hovering in the air, turned itself towards the horizon, taking note of the structures in the distance. No doubt when he got the time, Cezar would take a look at the data the drone had collected.

He himself turned to the horizon, and his lips parted for a moment, just a moment. “How did they..do all of this?” In such a short amount of time. Lots could happen in 23 years, but it all looked so much more…lively, in the pictures and videos he had seen in school. His eyes turned back to Finn. He was still wearing the black goggles in order to protect his eyes from the strong light. He’d likely be able to remove them as the sun went down, or in a darker area.
Younger than me, then, if he was born after the Ekzarks. Cezar determined that in his mind, not quite knowing the truth of it all.
“And that city…Dusk, you live there?”

“Well Earth was already fucked before the Ekzark’s took over, so it wasn’t difficult for them to just… convert everything that was already here like Dusk. I think it used to be called New York City or something, I’m not too sure, but with infrastructure already here it was just a matter of turning it into what they needed.”

With the way the world had been before hand, the state of the economy, the environment, it wasn’t difficult for things to turn into a massive shit show. Finn had only heard about Earth before all of this from his parents, and it was intriguing and fascinating for him to think about how the world would have been so green and wonderful at some point, but also how as humans they had destroyed a lot of it before the Ekzark’s had. It was a lose-lose situation, really.

“Yeah, yeah I live in the city.” Finn nodded to the buildings on the horizon, “The lower end, can’t afford to be in the high end area even if I wanted.” His apartment was small, but it was enough for one person.